by Megan Frazer

Review

When Dara Cohen won the Little Miss Maine pageant when she was 7, she had no idea what the following years would have in store. It's 10 years later, and she's 17, and not exactly the beauty queen ideal any more. She's still smart, talented, and funny, though, and thinks that should be enough. If only her parents felt that way. When an autobiography project makes everyone panic over her self-image, Dara gets an involuntary break from school. She decides to use this time to track down the sister that her parents never talk about, someone she has never met. Dara finds her sister Rachel working at Jezebel Goat Farm in Hollis, Massachusetts. Living and working at the farm with an eclectic group of folks, Dara start to learn new meanings for what family can be and what she can do to contribute. There could be romance, not with cute Owen (who has lived at the farm since his family kicked him out for being gay), but with his younger brother Milo. There might even be another pageant victory in her future--if she can decide on what to sing, and whether she is worth the effort. By the end of the summer, Dara will have to decide what to let go and what she should hold on to with all her might.